<p>This question has been bugging me lately, since my son is getting mail (and phone calls!) from colleges.</p>
<p>I'm assuming that the mail is mostly based on his SAT score (he took them in January) but my question is this: Do colleges buy lists of names of kids that have scored "X" on the SATs in order to target their mail? I mean, technically no college is supposed to have his scores unless he sends them, right? So, how exactly does it work where they get names of the kids they want to send mail to?</p>
<p>(Okay, I know some of this mail isn't targeted very well...but let's set that aside for a moment!)</p>
<p>Also...as an aside, do large state schools even send promotional mail? I don't think we've seen any from them (like UConn, Penn State, Michigan, Maryland, etc.)</p>
<p>Big state schools don’t usually send mail because they don’t need the advertising or can’t afford it. I think it makes sense; these schools are public so they better not be wasting tax-payer money on fancy brochures!</p>
<p>In terms of how they target it, I’ve heard that colleges can buy the names and addresses of students in certain score ranges. They also get access to any “academic area of interest” you may have checked off or bubbled in.</p>
<p>A lot of them also buy “potential student lists” from junior-year PSAT scores, so it’s just just the SAT!</p>
<p>I found it creepy when grad schools knew my scores and a few other things about me. It turns out that the testing company (ETS) wasn’t satisfied with my 300 bucks, they needed to sell my name, address and scores to programs that felt they needed to advertise to recruit the best talent. I know it is exciting to receive glossy brochures filled with photos of diverse looking students holding pipets and smiling, but those really aren’t the kind of resources you want to use in making your decisions of where to apply.</p>
<p>You may discover later as well, that your name and grade point average are sold by your undergrad institution to employers. I once got “pre rejected”. I got a phone call from a company that informed me that though they were visiting the campus soon, they didn’t want to meet with me. I had never expressed interest in this company but I still felt a bit offended. Aww, the world of spam and junk mail.</p>